"Are you—gwine to—kill me?" he asked, getting more and more agitated with alarm.
"No, we won't kill you, but we'll give you a furlough to a warmer climate. I think it will improve your health."
"You will give—a body—time—to pray—won't you?"
"Praying won't do you any good; you will go to the warm climate, anyhow; so, hurry on them clothes and come along with us." We then walked him out of the house; we found that he could travel as strong as we could.
The wife took on dreadfully, wringing her hands and crying out, "Have mercy! have mercy! Don't kill him!"
"Yes, traitors are pretty objects of mercy. You stay where you are." She was too much frightened to follow. As we passed out into the yard, we met the big Sergeant, accompanied by a nigger who had an iron collar on his neck, with a chain fastened to it, with the other end fastened around his waist.
"Here, Bunker," said the Sergeant, "see what I have found."
"That chain is just exactly what I want. Bring your nigger around here," said I, as I led my prisoner around to the rear of the house, and out to the stable. There we found two crotches standing upright, and a pole laid from one to the other. A large box was rolled out from the stable and placed under the pole, and the overseer made to get on to the box. The nigger had been sent to the rebel fortifications to work, and had run away. The overseer had captured him, and had punished him by putting him in irons, as described. In the morning he would chain him to the plow, and at night release him and make the chain fast around his body. On searching the pockets of the overseer, I found the key that unlocked the chain. I then unlocked the chain from the negro, and placed it upon the overseer's neck, and made the other end fast to the pole overhead; and having fastened the overseer's hands behind him, I said to the negro, "This man has been your overseer for a long time—you may change about now, and be his overseer awhile."
"Lor' bress you, massa!" he exclaimed. "Thank de Lord fur dat; he's dun druv dis nigga long enuf."
"Well, you drive him now."